by Paul Robert Scott
Despite all of the bluster from fans on both sides, Battlefield and Call of Duty are two very similar franchises. Yes, CoD focusses on up close and personal combat, while Battlefield gives you vehicles and room to use them, but both have fast and frantic FPS action with very similar styles. Personally, I enjoy either of them equally when I feel in the mood for such things, but I was still pretty grateful for the change of scenery when EA announced that their latest Battlefield instalment would be based on good ol’ school ground cops and robbers action. It was a bit of a shame then to find that Battlefield Hardline really doesn't do anything differently.
Despite all of the bluster from fans on both sides, Battlefield and Call of Duty are two very similar franchises. Yes, CoD focusses on up close and personal combat, while Battlefield gives you vehicles and room to use them, but both have fast and frantic FPS action with very similar styles. Personally, I enjoy either of them equally when I feel in the mood for such things, but I was still pretty grateful for the change of scenery when EA announced that their latest Battlefield instalment would be based on good ol’ school ground cops and robbers action. It was a bit of a shame then to find that Battlefield Hardline really doesn't do anything differently.
The gameplay is familiar as it ever has been for any FPS. In fact if you have ever played a first person shooter in your life you’ll know what to do. And to EA’s credit that isn’t really a bad thing. The controls are smooth and precise, and the instant you’re playing you’ll know what to do regardless of whether you are in single or multiplayer. The game is also very graphically pleasing, particularly if you’re playing on one of the next gen consoles. On a number of occasions the game will grant you massive panoramic views of cityscapes that are perhaps some of the best I’ve seen outside of a photograph. Character models are very well done as well of course, but seeing as we’re talking about walking targets here, it really wouldn’t matter if they were mere stick figures.
Of course, what Battlefield games do best is all in the multiplayer, and there’s no denying that there is nothing wrong with how Hardline brings forward this experience. Once again you have your two opposing sides doing battle in a variety of game modes. The maps are actually pretty varied, from doing battle between two city skyscrapers, to running from house to house in dust bowl central. The size of the maps can likewise differ accordingly but it is fair to say that they are generally much smaller to what fans of the franchise would be used to.
The game also sees an extension of Battlefield 4’s Levolution mechanic which allows events to be triggered that alter the map gameplay (blowing up a crane to send it crashing into a skyscraper for example) and there are multiple instances of these in every map that can either be massive or minor. This can work quite nicely with the game modes on offer, either with massive team death matches or the more intimate and team focussed hostage rescue and assassination modes. It therefore must be said that if you are the sort to get into the kind of team driven games that the franchise is known for then you will most definitely find each mode satisfying in its own way.
However, despite the more cops and robbers themed game modes and difference in scale, nothing is all that different from any other Battlefield that has come before it. The weapon sets are still the normal assortment you’d expect, with just perhaps a little more emphasis on the kind of guns you’re likely to find in the hands of a SWAT team or on the mean streets of Miami, but ultimately there is nothing new here. The main difference really comes in the vehicles you get to use. There’s not really much in the way of heavy military hardware and more in the way of regular cars and bikes with everyone doing their usual thing of running to grab the one aircraft on their side of the map. Of course while this is a little different it also means that you lose one of the most fun aspects of the franchise in the sense that this is not a game where you can turn the tide of battle by rolling in a battle tank or by doing a flyby in a fighter jet. That is not to say that the game isn't a hell of a lot of fun, but at the same time I did find that it felt like something was missing much of the time.
The game also sees an extension of Battlefield 4’s Levolution mechanic which allows events to be triggered that alter the map gameplay (blowing up a crane to send it crashing into a skyscraper for example) and there are multiple instances of these in every map that can either be massive or minor. This can work quite nicely with the game modes on offer, either with massive team death matches or the more intimate and team focussed hostage rescue and assassination modes. It therefore must be said that if you are the sort to get into the kind of team driven games that the franchise is known for then you will most definitely find each mode satisfying in its own way.
However, despite the more cops and robbers themed game modes and difference in scale, nothing is all that different from any other Battlefield that has come before it. The weapon sets are still the normal assortment you’d expect, with just perhaps a little more emphasis on the kind of guns you’re likely to find in the hands of a SWAT team or on the mean streets of Miami, but ultimately there is nothing new here. The main difference really comes in the vehicles you get to use. There’s not really much in the way of heavy military hardware and more in the way of regular cars and bikes with everyone doing their usual thing of running to grab the one aircraft on their side of the map. Of course while this is a little different it also means that you lose one of the most fun aspects of the franchise in the sense that this is not a game where you can turn the tide of battle by rolling in a battle tank or by doing a flyby in a fighter jet. That is not to say that the game isn't a hell of a lot of fun, but at the same time I did find that it felt like something was missing much of the time.
As for the single player… Well let’s face it, Battlefield has never at any point been based on a single player experience. But, having said that, if they were going to try, they at least could have tried harder.
In a story that evolves over ten “episodes,” you play Nick Mendoza, a Cuban refugee turned cop, turned convict. It’s no real spoiler to say that he gets put in prison, because it’s the first thing you get to see, right before a three year flashback to see his time on the force and half the story focussed on how he ended up being put in the slammer for a crime he didn’t commit, followed by the second half getting revenge. It's all very cliché, which may have been fine if every character involved, including Nick is about as wooden and lifeless as a wardrobe.
In a story that evolves over ten “episodes,” you play Nick Mendoza, a Cuban refugee turned cop, turned convict. It’s no real spoiler to say that he gets put in prison, because it’s the first thing you get to see, right before a three year flashback to see his time on the force and half the story focussed on how he ended up being put in the slammer for a crime he didn’t commit, followed by the second half getting revenge. It's all very cliché, which may have been fine if every character involved, including Nick is about as wooden and lifeless as a wardrobe.
The sad thing is that it all started out rather promising. The first scene shows you braking down a drug den’s door and making a few arrests before it all goes tits up, while the follow up sees Nick and his partner working a case which ends up… well also going pretty well tits up… After that the game pretty much follows the same tired formula. You can scan an area with your phone which can detect every bad guy on the map as well as any of particular special interest, at which point you are encouraged to attempt to sneak around them, armed with your stealth and a stun gun to silently take down the crooks. However, as bad guys will tend to investigate when they see a fallen comrade, it works just as well to simply take down one then wait patiently until the next guard (note singular) comes around the corner and you knock him out too.
Of course you could just walk up to them, yell freeze and show them your badge, and this will work by getting up to three guards to drop their guns and put their hands up. But you’d best arrest them quickly or they’ll pull their side-arms on you, that’s ok though, cos once you start cuffing one of them then the rest just seem to let it happen despite taking your eyes off them.
Of course you could just walk up to them, yell freeze and show them your badge, and this will work by getting up to three guards to drop their guns and put their hands up. But you’d best arrest them quickly or they’ll pull their side-arms on you, that’s ok though, cos once you start cuffing one of them then the rest just seem to let it happen despite taking your eyes off them.
Ultimately the entire single player game is one missed opportunity. Eventually you just go from level to level, choosing to either sneak about or to throw caution to the wind and shoot everyone, which is just as easy and less time consuming. At no point are you breaching a clearing as part of a SWAT team or really doing much of anything that a real life cop would be. The entire story is likewise a complete mess. It starts off like Training Day then ends like a Daniel Craig Bond film. I wanted to feel like I was in Lethal Weapon or Miami Vice, not questioning why the A.I. is so stupid that it can spot me but not my equally dumb, A.I. controlled partner who just ran past one of the bad guys without batting an eye.
All in all, Battlefield Hardline is ok. If you want a good multiplayer experience you’ll find it here and there’s enough to keep the old fans happy. Just don’t buy it at any point for the single player. It is truly awful and you will find yourself merely playing it in a vague hope that it will get better. Trust me it doesn’t. On the plus side, however it will make you want to have a marathon of buddy cop films in order to take the bad taste away… which I can tell you was infinitely more fun.
All in all, Battlefield Hardline is ok. If you want a good multiplayer experience you’ll find it here and there’s enough to keep the old fans happy. Just don’t buy it at any point for the single player. It is truly awful and you will find yourself merely playing it in a vague hope that it will get better. Trust me it doesn’t. On the plus side, however it will make you want to have a marathon of buddy cop films in order to take the bad taste away… which I can tell you was infinitely more fun.
Whatcha' gonna do when they come for you...
Oh dear. I don't think that was the reaction we were hoping for.
Battlefield Hardline is out now across all console platforms, and sounds great if you want some multiplayer action. But if you want gritty crime drama you might be better off sticking with GTA V or Sleeping Dogs.
Have you had a chance to play Hardline yet? Let us know what what you thought in the comments below!
Battlefield Hardline is out now across all console platforms, and sounds great if you want some multiplayer action. But if you want gritty crime drama you might be better off sticking with GTA V or Sleeping Dogs.
Have you had a chance to play Hardline yet? Let us know what what you thought in the comments below!
RSS Feed
